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Introduction to Linux - A Hands on Guide

This guide was created as an overview of the Linux Operating System, geared toward new users as an exploration tour and getting started guide, with exercises at the end of each chapter.
For more advanced trainees it can be a desktop reference, and a collection of the base knowledge needed to proceed with system and network administration. This book contains many real life examples derived from the author's experience as a Linux system and network administrator, trainer and consultant. They hope these examples will help you to get a better understanding of the Linux system and that you feel encouraged to try out things on your own.

Stragest BugZ Part 1

Before I forget, I want to jot some notes on the screwiest bugs I've seen.

First, openSUSE.

I'm using version 11.4, but it's very likely that some of these misfeatures are still present in 12.1 though the newer kde seems to behave a bit better. Better, at least when JAWS appears. The newer KDE it may self correct better but you may well still see the effect for an instant even so.

JAWS!

The exploding desktop bug, or "JAWS", which is what I named it for the ripped up appearance of my desktop and even menu text at times.

This is apparently caused by or exacerbated by an incorrect setting for full screen applications and open GL screensavers. Screensavers are fullscreen applications.

To see one run non-fullscreen type:

Code:

/usr/lib/xscreensaver/atlantis

Look in that directory for other screensavers you can launch from the terminal as well.

Nobody at the openSUSE forums believed me. I posted a bug report, yes, but that was the last bug report I posted. If nobody else thinks these are bugs, well... Maybe it's just a matter of preference. ;-)

If you have seen that bug, I for one, believe you. Try this: Make sure that your

Code:

System Settings -> Desktop Effects -> / Advanced \

settings for 'Suspend desktop effects for fullscreen windows is UN-checked.

Other side effects include (but are not limited to) inability to unlock a locked screen -- the unlock widget may disappear, appear in parts and may not include a cursor in the password text entry field. This may be because the unlock widget DOES require plasma effects.

And here's another openSUSE puzzler.

LOGOUT/LOST-DATA

For some reason, especially when I was compiling, using konqueror, konsole, and switching windows with Alt-TAB, but sometimes with other Alt-<key> combos and even once when I tried to ascend a directory clicking on the up-arrow in my file manager, I would get kicked out to the 'greeter' and have to log back in.

Fortunately files I was editing would be restorable, but files I was moving, copying etc., occasionally got fouled up when this happened. And it happened often, averaging about once every two hours at one point, which was REALLY puzzling.

I wondered: Was 'superuser' on a timeout? That was one possibility I investigated but that was not the case.

It took two months to track this down, by the way. It's a simple fix, but it was sooooooo random that I want to make sure to jot this down in case it's helpful to anyone else.

This bug may be caused by or exacerbated by another poor choice in my desktop effects.

If you have this problem try this: Check here...

Code:

System Settings -> Desktop Effects -> / All Effects \

And see how many of the four effects at the top of the Window Management section are selected.

The main culprit appears to be the second in the list (Cover Switch), which appears to run too slowly or get confused when an Alt-<KEY> is pressed.

These keys are tossed around through the DBus and they are global, so more than one app may use the same keys, depending on the context of the key press.

Also helpful in this (which I discovered as the first signs of improvement before I noticed that the aforementioned desktop effect was the real cause on my machine) was using a static-linked i915_dri.so file. It's from the Mesa (7.11-rc1) for the intel i915 driver. It's not easy to compile, because Mesa wants you to compile the whole collection, but I may post a work-around for that later, especially if anyone gives a me shout needing that file.

BUT I STILL USE OPENSUSE.

What I DO like about openSUSE is that despite their attempts to make it impossible to "boot installed system" ever since version 10.x it is still possible to use the installation DVD to boot into a pretty broken or inaccessible installation.

Use the DVD. Say you want to install/update. For the update select ZERO FILES. Proceed through the update and reboot process. Fix whatever may still need repairs and reboot to test.

This has saved my system several times. I wish there was still that little button in the installer, but nevermind. Let others learn the hard way too, eh? :-)

I also like yast a lot, especially the software management. It gives you a lot of control over which files to install and some ability to override it's decisions. When that fails rpm on the commandline can really enforce your preference, and all's well that ends well.

An example of this forced override might be if you need libreadline.so.5 but installing it would uninstall libreadline.so.6 and a gazillion other files that require the newer lib. Manually installing the older lib using rpm on the commandline allows forcing the installation. I did have to do this when I needed the older lib for xmaxima. Actually I think I may have had to extract and copy the binary into the /lib folder that time, but you get the point. All's well that ends well.